1. Wedding Band takes place in the summer months of 1918 in a coastal South Carolina town. The play is centered around three houses owned by Fanny, a black woman. The three renters include Julia (who has just moved in), Mattie (who lives with her daughter Teeta and her husband October, who is serving in World War 1), and Lula (a single woman who lives with her adopted son Nelson). All three of these women are working-class or even near poverty-level, visible with Mattie’s fear over losing a quarter to make candy for sale. The dramatic situation that these women find themselves in throughout the play is being in the middle of an illegal white-black relationship between Julia and Herman. All of the characters explore their own experiences with how they view what is racially “right” and “wrong” and what the status quo is in the 1918 American south between black and white citizens.
2. The intrusion begins with Herman’s collapse on Julia’s porch. After discovering he has the flu (and will most likely die), Julia and Herman are forced to confront their relationship through the eyes of Herman’s mother and sister. Both disapprove and think that both parties are guilty and disgraceful. Their entrance brings about the most dramatic action, including Julia’s fight with Herman’s mother, Herman’s mental breakdown, and eventually Herman and Julia’s fight. Before this collapse, Julia and Herman had been able to “shut out” their racial positions that the rest of society place them in. Only minor hints at the issue of race came in before Herman’s illness (ie: Herman wanting Julia to say “angry people” not “angry WHITE people”).
3. The unique factor is probably Herman’s arrival at Julia’s house. His appearance brings the issue of race into focus and brings in all of the neighbors on the issue of Julia’s relationship status. The discussion of the illegality of their relationship reminds readers of the time and place that the play is set in. Herman’s arrival is also followed by his own complaints about anti-German sentiments, which focus more specifically on the World War 1-era setting. Herman eventually leads to the intrusion of the play and begins the movement towards dramatic action. His collapse occurs shortly after he visits Julia and says they will be married and will leave for New York.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
What will happen to Julia? Will she be arrested/Will Herman’s family report her?
Will Herman’s family be emotionally changed at all after this experience? Will at least Herman’s sister reconcile with Julia?
Will Mattie and October be reunited?
Will Nelson survive the War, or more importantly, will he survive after he returns?
5. Julia, at the beginning of the play, wants to be with Herman and largely to be left alone. Julia makes efforts to distance herself from her neighbors, but they are actually the ones to intrude onto her life until she relents and accepts that they will make themselves involved – whether she desires that or not. Julia’s relationship with Herman is something that she wants to commit to in the form of marriage. Her hope chest is filled with silver cups and a wedding dress, and she eventually given an inscribed wedding band as an anniversary present from Herman. Julia’s happiness with Herman faces obstacles under both the “against individuals” and “against society” categories. Herman’s mother and sister immediately try and separate Herman and Julia as soon as he contracts the flu and collapses. Julia and Herman’s relationship, too, has no hope of survival in South Carolina because of its illegality. Herman’s mother also sees it as a moral crime, saying that God has punished her by giving her a disgraceful son who would love a black woman.
After Herman’s breakdown and the end of Julia and Herman’s relationship, Julia again wants to be alone and shut out from the world, She beings drinking and mourning the loss of a relationship and of her love. She is angry and upset, and this may be a “me against myself” obstacle to being happy with Herman. She could not accept what he had done and may actually regret her inability to look past his upbringing as a racist, and that is why she is drinking. Julia is also having an internal conflict about her role in the race balance between white and black citizens, as she has nightmares about slaves “silently gathered” at her bedside.
Herman returns and Julia again wants to be with him, though she knows that is impossible on some level. Julia reconciles with Herman as they discuss the issue of ignorance, and how altogether avoiding the topic in their relationship merely magnified the racial differences that they believed they were above. This did not, however, damage the care they showed for one another. Julia no longer wants or even cares about getting married or getting to New York with Herman, and she gives her wedding band and the boat tickets to Mattie. Julia does get to be with Herman, as she shuts out the door and he dies in her arms.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band.
Julia and Herman’s mother confront each other in Julia’s house; Herman becomes hysterical and hallucinates during his flu episode
Herman returns to Julia’s house, on the verge of collapse, and they confront the issue of “ignorance”; they reconcile in time for him to pass away, able to close the real ignorance (Herman’s family and Julia’s own neighbors) out of the house.
7. Julia’s wedding band on a necklace chain. While we knew Julia and Herman considered themselves in a relationship, we did not know they considered themselves effectively “married” and just as committed as any legally married couple. The ring emphasizes the value of their relationship as well as its longevity (ten years). However, putting it on a chain also reveals that Julia and Herman are not at all fooled into thinking their relationship would be publicly acceptable in South Carolina. They are painfully aware of the limitations that they face because of race laws, and Julia takes care to actually hide the wedding band underneath her shirt.
The boat tickets. The boat tickets symbolize a chance to start over and to move beyond race divisions. Race plagues Julia and Herman’s ability to be with each other publicly and to have their relationship validated, and these tickets represent a chance for escapism. However, the tickets slowly dissolve into a hollow false hope, as Julia and Herman break from each other before they can use them. This is because they are confronted with the ugly truth of how everyone around them disapproves and they are unwilling to fight for each other (Julia throws them in Herman’s face). Julia, in the end, does still recognize that these tickets do mean opportunity, but for Mattie instead of herself.
Julia’s house. The description of Julia’s house is that of something newly repainted or redone, but still surrounded by worn-down houses and in a low-income area. I think that this may represent Julia as a whole, in that she fights so much to be “beyond” the ideas of race but the issue ends up being completely encompassing and unavoidable based on the society around her. It also describes the house as “everything clashing in a beautiful splendor”, which is reminiscent of Julia and Herman’s relationship. They should not go together, but they do in a beautiful and eventually tragic way.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band.
Race and racism in the 19th century, especially in relation to marriage and relationships.
Misogyny and male/female relationships
Marriage – and whether it should be limited as a political institution or an emotional institution
Faith in the future (based on societal change, religious hope)
Family obligations/ “family” defined by a person’s own terms
Shame
9. Herman’s family is the most obvious provocation to the increasing dramatic action and verbal confrontations that occur in The Wedding Band. However, I do think that Julia does end up with a family of her own, defined by her social community. Julia, who belied herself as lonely or living secluded in secrecy, ends the play with Mattie and Teeta as “her family now” and shows them the greatest kindness by giving them a chance to move out of South Carolina and start over elsewhere. The Wedding Band illustrates that while your own biological family may be limiting or may not even be good at all, people form their own families by choice. Julia does this twice, by choosing Herman (against the racial divides in South Carolina) and by choosing Mattie and Teeta. Family isn’t necessarily defined by the government or by bureaucratic boundaries. This same comment can be made to marriage by comparing Mattie’s marriage and Julia’s marriage. Both are technically “common-law” marriages and show love, sacrifice, and fidelity, but the government does not recognize them. That, however, does not make them any less “married” or committed.
1. Wedding Band takes place in the summer months of 1918 in a coastal South Carolina town. The play is centered around three houses owned by Fanny, a black woman. The three renters include Julia (who has just moved in), Mattie (who lives with her daughter Teeta and her husband October, who is serving in World War 1), and Lula (a single woman who lives with her adopted son Nelson). All three of these women are working-class or even near poverty-level, visible with Mattie’s fear over losing a quarter to make candy for sale. The dramatic situation that these women find themselves in throughout the play is being in the middle of an illegal white-black relationship between Julia and Herman. All of the characters explore their own experiences with how they view what is racially “right” and “wrong” and what the status quo is in the 1918 American south between black and white citizens.
2. The intrusion begins with Herman’s collapse on Julia’s porch. After discovering he has the flu (and will most likely die), Julia and Herman are forced to confront their relationship through the eyes of Herman’s mother and sister. Both disapprove and think that both parties are guilty and disgraceful. Their entrance brings about the most dramatic action, including Julia’s fight with Herman’s mother, Herman’s mental breakdown, and eventually Herman and Julia’s fight. Before this collapse, Julia and Herman had been able to “shut out” their racial positions that the rest of society place them in. Only minor hints at the issue of race came in before Herman’s illness (ie: Herman wanting Julia to say “angry people” not “angry WHITE people”).
3. The unique factor is probably Herman’s arrival at Julia’s house. His appearance brings the issue of race into focus and brings in all of the neighbors on the issue of Julia’s relationship status. The discussion of the illegality of their relationship reminds readers of the time and place that the play is set in. Herman’s arrival is also followed by his own complaints about anti-German sentiments, which focus more specifically on the World War 1-era setting. Herman eventually leads to the intrusion of the play and begins the movement towards dramatic action. His collapse occurs shortly after he visits Julia and says they will be married and will leave for New York.
4. State the dramatic questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
What will happen to Julia? Will she be arrested/Will Herman’s family report her?
Will Herman’s family be emotionally changed at all after this experience? Will at least Herman’s sister reconcile with Julia?
Will Mattie and October be reunited?
Will Nelson survive the War, or more importantly, will he survive after he returns?
5. Julia, at the beginning of the play, wants to be with Herman and largely to be left alone. Julia makes efforts to distance herself from her neighbors, but they are actually the ones to intrude onto her life until she relents and accepts that they will make themselves involved – whether she desires that or not. Julia’s relationship with Herman is something that she wants to commit to in the form of marriage. Her hope chest is filled with silver cups and a wedding dress, and she eventually given an inscribed wedding band as an anniversary present from Herman. Julia’s happiness with Herman faces obstacles under both the “against individuals” and “against society” categories. Herman’s mother and sister immediately try and separate Herman and Julia as soon as he contracts the flu and collapses. Julia and Herman’s relationship, too, has no hope of survival in South Carolina because of its illegality. Herman’s mother also sees it as a moral crime, saying that God has punished her by giving her a disgraceful son who would love a black woman.
After Herman’s breakdown and the end of Julia and Herman’s relationship, Julia again wants to be alone and shut out from the world, She beings drinking and mourning the loss of a relationship and of her love. She is angry and upset, and this may be a “me against myself” obstacle to being happy with Herman. She could not accept what he had done and may actually regret her inability to look past his upbringing as a racist, and that is why she is drinking. Julia is also having an internal conflict about her role in the race balance between white and black citizens, as she has nightmares about slaves “silently gathered” at her bedside.
Herman returns and Julia again wants to be with him, though she knows that is impossible on some level. Julia reconciles with Herman as they discuss the issue of ignorance, and how altogether avoiding the topic in their relationship merely magnified the racial differences that they believed they were above. This did not, however, damage the care they showed for one another. Julia no longer wants or even cares about getting married or getting to New York with Herman, and she gives her wedding band and the boat tickets to Mattie. Julia does get to be with Herman, as she shuts out the door and he dies in her arms.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. Identify the most theatrical moments in Wedding Band.
Julia and Herman’s mother confront each other in Julia’s house; Herman becomes hysterical and hallucinates during his flu episode
Herman returns to Julia’s house, on the verge of collapse, and they confront the issue of “ignorance”; they reconcile in time for him to pass away, able to close the real ignorance (Herman’s family and Julia’s own neighbors) out of the house.
7. Julia’s wedding band on a necklace chain. While we knew Julia and Herman considered themselves in a relationship, we did not know they considered themselves effectively “married” and just as committed as any legally married couple. The ring emphasizes the value of their relationship as well as its longevity (ten years). However, putting it on a chain also reveals that Julia and Herman are not at all fooled into thinking their relationship would be publicly acceptable in South Carolina. They are painfully aware of the limitations that they face because of race laws, and Julia takes care to actually hide the wedding band underneath her shirt.
The boat tickets. The boat tickets symbolize a chance to start over and to move beyond race divisions. Race plagues Julia and Herman’s ability to be with each other publicly and to have their relationship validated, and these tickets represent a chance for escapism. However, the tickets slowly dissolve into a hollow false hope, as Julia and Herman break from each other before they can use them. This is because they are confronted with the ugly truth of how everyone around them disapproves and they are unwilling to fight for each other (Julia throws them in Herman’s face). Julia, in the end, does still recognize that these tickets do mean opportunity, but for Mattie instead of herself.
Julia’s house. The description of Julia’s house is that of something newly repainted or redone, but still surrounded by worn-down houses and in a low-income area. I think that this may represent Julia as a whole, in that she fights so much to be “beyond” the ideas of race but the issue ends up being completely encompassing and unavoidable based on the society around her. It also describes the house as “everything clashing in a beautiful splendor”, which is reminiscent of Julia and Herman’s relationship. They should not go together, but they do in a beautiful and eventually tragic way.
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Wedding Band.
Race and racism in the 19th century, especially in relation to marriage and relationships.
Misogyny and male/female relationships
Marriage – and whether it should be limited as a political institution or an emotional institution
Faith in the future (based on societal change, religious hope)
Family obligations/ “family” defined by a person’s own terms
Shame
9. Herman’s family is the most obvious provocation to the increasing dramatic action and verbal confrontations that occur in The Wedding Band. However, I do think that Julia does end up with a family of her own, defined by her social community. Julia, who belied herself as lonely or living secluded in secrecy, ends the play with Mattie and Teeta as “her family now” and shows them the greatest kindness by giving them a chance to move out of South Carolina and start over elsewhere. The Wedding Band illustrates that while your own biological family may be limiting or may not even be good at all, people form their own families by choice. Julia does this twice, by choosing Herman (against the racial divides in South Carolina) and by choosing Mattie and Teeta. Family isn’t necessarily defined by the government or by bureaucratic boundaries. This same comment can be made to marriage by comparing Mattie’s marriage and Julia’s marriage. Both are technically “common-law” marriages and show love, sacrifice, and fidelity, but the government does not recognize them. That, however, does not make them any less “married” or committed.